1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to document sorting apparatus and, more specifically, to a document sorting apparatus for sorting documents into a specific storage pocket according to data characters recorded on the face of the document.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic data processing equipment normally used in banking institutions and the like typically includes a document reader-sorter which provides for the automatic reading of data characters recorded on the documents, such as bank checks, and for the automatic sorting of the documents into a specific one of a plurality of pockets according to the data recorded thereon. A stack of the documents is manually placed into a document hopper, from which individual documents are serially fed at high speed along a document transport guide way, past a data character read station, to a selected one of the document pockets. The machine reading of the data recorded on the individual documents is accomplished by means of MICR or OCR read heads disposed at the read station and sorting of the documents is generally accomplished automatically as a by-product of the machine reading function.
The data from the documents is inputed to a central processor which assigns a destination number to the documents specifying which pocket it is to be sorted into. This destination number is transferred to hard-wired electronic circuitry associated with each pocket location, which circuitry through document detectors recognizes the arrival of a document at its particular pocket. The circuitry then activates a gate mechanism to direct the document into the pocket or de-activates the gate so as to allow the document to pass downstream to its specified pocket.
Although such document reader-sorters have proven effective in achieving a document throughput rate of from 1500 to 2000 six inch documents per minute, they have been found to be relatively unreliable, especially with regard to a number of occurrences of document mis-sorts, where higher throughput rates are required; such increased document throughput rates being regarded as an essential goal in the development of future generation document reader-sorters.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a document sorting apparatus that will operate reliably at high document throughput rates. It is also desirable to provide a document sorting apparatus having the capability to control the sorting of documents into a specified one of a plurality of storage pockets at the desired higher document throughput rates. Finally, it is desirable to provide a document sorting apparatus which minimizes the number of occurrences of document mis-sorts.